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158 It’s Not a Glass Ceiling, It’s a Sticky Floor

neurons in their brains than men, and these are dedicated to emo-
tions and communications. Louann says that our communication
capacity is evidenced by the fact that we speak about 20,000 words
per day, an average of 250 words per minute, while men average 7,000
words per day or 125 words per minute. With such a knack for gab-
bing, it would seem that women should have an advantage over men
in terms of communicating in the workplace.
However, the number of words a woman speaks per day or
minute is not the best way to measure her effectiveness. Communi-
cating by giving lots of details, talking about how you feel, and try-
ing to involve everyone in the conversation does not always lead to
action or results as effectively as being direct and succinct. The peo-
ple you talk to—just like you—are busy and their minds are already
filled with information. Less is truly better.
Shakespeare noted in Hamlet, “brevity is the soul of wit.” But
being a woman of few words goes to the heart of being a good com-
municator in general. This is where our extraordinary capacity to
speak—250 words per minute—is a hindrance. Our desire to share
everything about how we got from point A to point Z is not neces-
sarily what the listener wants to hear. Often a busy executive, or a
direct report for that matter, just needs the bottom line. It’s good to
share details and to demonstrate your thought process, but it’s just
as important to self-edit and choose the most pertinent details to
share.
A lasting and memorable example of keeping your communica-
tions simple is the Gettysburg Address. This speech, written by Pres-
ident Abraham Lincoln, lasted no more than about 10 minutes and
was under 200 words. It left an imprint in people’s minds for over
200 years. It brings to light how powerful and well crafted a simple
message can be.
I learned early on how keeping your communications simple and
to the point was important for getting people to do what you want